Victoria trustee calls for continued school security talks

IN OTHER BUSINESS

• School board members approved an agenda item making the Dr. Pattie Dodson Health Center at 2805 N. Navarro St. the district's main early voting polling place.

• A longer winter break was approved for VISD staff. The new dates are Dec. 23-Jan. 3. Before only students were received the full winter break.

• The board approved $6,260 in gifts to the district.

An area school district's security upgrades are expected to be completed by the fall.

Victoria school district superintendent Robert Jaklich explained the coming changes at Thursday's regular school board meeting.

The changes are set to take place on all of VISD's elementary school campuses and one middle school.

Howell Middle School was chosen for modifications from the other four middle schools, which currently meet their structural security needs, said Jaklich.

The enhancements include 46 security card readers, 19 additional security doors, two cameras with monitoring systems, eye ports or peepholes and a call button system for admission into the school building.

Overlapping patrol routes for deputies assigned to rural campuses were also included in the superintendent's update.

"This is an ongoing dialogue that Sheriff O'Connor and I will continue to have," Jaklich said. "There are still many questions to be answered in regard to the technical training required."

The primary funding sources are additional revenues from the district's Freeport Tax Exemption Reimbursement totaling $215,524 and an additional $22,796 from the district's general fund, campus budgets and parental support.

After the superintendent's update, trustee Lou Svetlik called for continued security discussions.

"Sandy Hook presented a whole different picture for security," Svetlik said. "The community wants someone armed, highly-trained and immediately available at each campus."